Une Parisienne

Well, I've been here for almost 2 weeks now, and unfortunately it has flown by! I feel as though I have finally become a "Parisian".  I have a metro card, I buy groceries and eat at the corner café with the locals.  This weekend I went to 2 Châteaus over the weekend in the Loire Valley, Chambord and Chenonceau. Chambord was built by François the 1st in the early 16th century to be used as a hunting lodge. It has some amazing woods and grounds around it, including a river.

Then we went to Chenonceau, which is small manor-house built in the 12th century on a river. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend much time here, but the weather was beautiful and and I got to take a nice stroll in the gardens by the river.

Today (Monday) was a holiday so we didn't have classes. (no complaint here!) I spent the day at the Père Lachaise cemetary and got to see the graves of some of my favorite artists! Chopin, Delacroix, Molière and Oscar Wilde! This week is more classes, and spending more time living the Parisian dream. am sure I will visit more monuments, but no plans as of right now. Versailles this weekend, too!

Une semaine suivant

I can't belive I've been here a week! Already had a fantastic weekend excursion in Normandy, then St. Malo & Mont Saint Michel in Brittany.  Normandy is undescribable.  It was incredible to feel this huge sense of American pride half-way around the world from America. We were there during the 67th anniversary of D-Day, so there was a ton of American, Canadian and British military, retired and active duty.  The D-Day memorial was beautiful, and I feel so blessed that I could go.  Next we went to St. Malo in the Brittany region, (northwest coast of France) which is a cute seaside town that is known for their apples and mussels.  So for dinner I of course had apple cider with mussels, Brittany style.  They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

We spent the night in St. Malo, then went to Mont Saint Michel, which is a monastery built on a tiny island.  It was breaktaking. The weather was also foggy, so it showed its famous look of a "castle on a cloud". We came back on Sunday night and I have been busy with classes all week.  Other than strolling down the Champs-Elysées one night, I haven't done any more exploring of Paris.  Don't worry, I have much planned for the rest of the week! On Friday nights the Louvre is free from 6pm-10pm, so as a "poor French college student" I will be going.  This Saturday we are going on a day trip to see a couple of Châteaus in the Loire Valley, which is a region south of Paris.

3 jours à Paris

Today was my third day in Paris and my first day of classes at the Sorbonne! The classes meet 5 times a week in the morning, and for two weeks in the afternoon as well.  The school is less than a mile from my homestay, so I will get to enjoy a beautiful walk on my way to school every morning.  I have been enjoying the leisurely Parisian life.  I have been exploring around my neighborhood, (The Latin Quarter) and seeing the sights.  It's wonderful to know that I have a month to spend in Paris, so I can really enjoy seeing the sights of Paris without feeling rushed.  I have been to the Sacré-Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, Pathéon and Luxumbourg gardens so far, with many more sites to see. Tomorrow morning we are going on our first weekend excursion to Normandy! We are going to the D-Day museum, the American Cemetary and of course the trenches at the famous beaches.  I am very excited to go and will be sure to share lots of pictures.  Then Sunday we are going to Mont Saint-Michel before heading back to Paris for a long week of classes.  Having a great time and still pinching myself that I will be here for 5 weeks! Au revoir!

Une semaine!

Well, exactly a month later and now it's one week until take off! Got our host family assignments a few weeks ago! I am staying in the 5th arrondissment, called the Latin Quarter, which is where the Sorbonne is. Also found out the hotels we're staying in for our overnight excursions in St. Malo (Normandy region) and Avignon (Provence region).

Starting to realize now how much I've been putting off preparing for this trip... but it will all come together soon! I have shopping to do, both for myself and buying presents for my host family in Paris. Thinking about packing makes me nervous, too. I always seem to forget important things. Once I even forgot all my shirts on a weekend trip, haha. This week I'm setting up my global cell phone plan, emailing my host family and notifying my bank accounts, as well.  I want to be able to enjoy everything while I'm in France, which means not having to worry about paying bills, etc, while I'm over there so I'm doing the best to get it done now.

La première poste

Bienvenue! My name is Lauren and this blog will be about my experiences studying abroad for the month of June 2011 at the University of Paris Sorbonne in Paris! I am studying French Language Education at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and this will be my first study abroad experience.  I have been lucky enough to have been to France 3 times, but this will be the longest time being overseas. I will be in Paris for over 4 weeks! We just had our last pre-departure meeting at UCF, so I guess that means we're getting close!! (37 days to be exact)  I bought my plane tickets last month and I am flying to London because of the great deal that Delta was having from Orlando to London. ($856 total roundtrip!) So, I am leaving the morning of May 31st and connecting in Boston, then arriving in London at 6:25am. From there I'm getting on the high-speed train at 9:30am and I will finally be in Paris at 12:30pm. Talk about a long day of traveling, but it will be worth every second when I have my first bite of pain de chocolat. Mmmm.

Here is the final intinery for the program:
May 31: Arrival in Paris and check-in with host families

June 1: Beginning of French immersion program in Paris

June 4: Excursion to Vallée de la Loire with visits to Château de Chenonceau and Château de Chambord

June 11: Overnight excursion to Normandy with visits to the American Cemetery, Arromanches and the D-Day Landing Museum. Drive to St. Malo for night accommodation

June 12: Excursion to Mont St. Michel and return to Paris

June 18: Excursion to Versailles

June 25: Overnight excursion to Avignon with visits to Place de l’Horloge and the Palais des Papes

June 26: Excursion to Pont St-Bénezet and return to Paris

June 30: Depart Paris for Orlando

On the days that are not listed we will be in classes at the Sorbonne.  I'm taking French Oral Communication and a French Culture class. Total it will be 9 credits.  The program did a google map that maps out every monument and city were are seeing/staying at in France. The link is HERE.

Haven't found out any information about the host families, but I made sure to request to stay in St-Germain-des-Prés because it's the ritzy area of Paris, haha. As the trip gets closer, I'll make sure to put any important updates or mearly just post because I'm freaking out about how to pack for this trip. =)

Merci pour lire!
-Lauren